Stacking mechanism



Sept. 2, 1941. c. G. JOA

STACKING MECHANISM Original Filed Oct. 30, 1937 INVENTOR 6027 (7. Jo/q AMYMLAU ATTORNEYJ Patents ept. 2, 1943 Original application October 30, 1937, Serial No.

Divided and this application-April 6,

1940, Serial No. 328,363

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in stacking mechanisms. The present application is a division of my co-pending application entitled Manufacture of sanitary napkins and the like, Serial No. 171,861, filed October 30, 1937. v

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism adapted to stack manufactured articles, whereby to greatly accelerate the output of an associated machine regardless of the specific type of article produced thereby. 7

Other objects will appear from the following disclosure and appended claims. I am aware of the fact .that a-number of, changes may be made in the structure while still embodying the principle of the device as shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a detail view partially in end elevation and partly in transverse section, showing the stacking mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism disclosed in Fig. l. I I

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

As disclosed in my above mentioned co-pending application, the manufacture of certain articles may be accelerated by employment of a plurality of assembly lines which are operated in unison to function concurrently on adjacent articles 'to deliver a plurality, preferably three, articles simultaneously at the end of a machine for discharge into a common stacker.

The principle of the article manufacturing machine being thus broadly-stated, I shall now describe in detail the stacker mechanism shown in the drawing, which is illustrative of my inventive principle.

The completed articles are delivered from the assembly mechanism, not shown, over belt-type conveyors ill, ii and i2, to a receiving table i3, into the path of successive lugs M mounted on conveyor chains l5 for movement across the table. Chains i5 move the pads successively into the mouth of a stacking hopper is which comprises'a tube having a cross section similar to the outline of the completed articleand extending curvilinearly about a bend at i! to a packaging table IS. The hopper tube i6 ends flush with table i9.

One side of hopper I6 is open and in the opening operates a grouping conveyor 20 which comprises a pairof chains l8 operating over sets of 1 packing arms 23 and have means for" driving them at such a rate that one article is' received upon each pair'of arms; As the chains move to propel the articles downwardly in the hopper IS, the arms are progressively withdrawn, as clearly appears in Fig. 1, until finally the articles are successively deposited upon each other in the hopper.

Sprockets 22 of the grouping conveyor are keyed to a shaft 33 which also carries a pair of viewed in Fig. 1,-to provide a conveyor which is herein termed the projecting conveyor. Arms 23 move through elongated slots which are provided in housing I6 from the article receiving end to the ejecting end, and back to the receiving end to repeat the cycle.

The movement of arms .23 of grouping .conveyor 20 are synchronized with the rate of'articl'e feed by conveyor arms is, whereby one article is deposited on each successive arm 23. The articles are conveyed downwardly in spaced relatlon by the grouping conveyor until each arm recedes from the housing, at which point the article is deposited either directly upon a pair of projection conveyor arms 29 or upon another article which is supported thereby. The grouping conveyor deposits a stack of articles onto the arms 29 before a successive pair of like arms moves into the mouth of housing i3; whereupon another group is started.

As each pair of arms 29 moves downwardly toward the end of the housing, a point is reached at which gravity no longerpropels the articles downwardly, and arms 29 move on to propel the previously deposited group upwardly and out of the housing. In this manner, the pair of conveyor arms which retard the movement of one stack of articles in their downward movement, leaves that group and pushes the successive group or stack upwardly to the discharge end of the tube. This cycle is repeated throughout the operation of the device.

The chain as drives from sprocket 22 a cam 25 which periodically engages a cam follower 23 to operate push plate 21 across the discharge nd of the hopper housing, thereby thrusting onto table i3 all .of the napkins which have already emerged from the housing. Ordinarily the timing will be such that the cam will function each time a predetermined number of articles have been ejected, thus moving successive stacks across the packing table, where they can 7 three articles ejected simultaneously from the three lines fall in front of three successive propelling paddles and then there is an interval in article delivery suflicient to permit the conveyor to move all of these articles to the stacker before the next set of three articlesis ejected onto the table II.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a tubular housing provided with an axially extending slot means for delivering manufactured articles to the housing, means extending through the slot and into the housing for pushing said articles axially through said housing, and a ram reciprocable transversely of the housing, provided with actuating means for periodically ejecting laterally of said housing a stack containing a predetermined number of articles.

2. In an article assembly machine, the combination with a housing having a slotted wall, of a conveyor operating adjacent said housing and having arms extending through said wall into the housing, said conveyor being provided with guide means defining a conveyor path progressively divergent from said housing, whereby said arms are gradually withdrawn from the slotted wall thereof, means for delivering articles on to the successive arms of said conveyor to be placed in said housing and pushed therethrough, and an ejector adjacent the delivery end of said housin and means for the timed operation thereof to push laterally a predetermined number of articles stacked in said housing.

3. In a device of the character described, a tubular housing provided with an axially extendlng slot article conveyor means for delivering articles thereto, means projecting through the slot and into the housing for pushing such articles through said housing, and a ram disposed for reciprocable transverse movement across the top of the housing and provided with actuating means for periodically ejecting laterally of said housing a stack comprising a predetermined number of articles.

4. A stacking mechanism, comprising a housing having a slotted wall, a conveyor operating adjacent said housing and having arms extending through said wall into the housing, said conveyer being disposed in oblique relation to said slotted housing wall whereby during operation of the device said arms are grdually withdrawn from the slotted wall thereof, and means for delivering articles on to the successive arms of the conveyor in 'a position to be directed by said arms into the mouth of said housing and means for 5. In a stacker mechanism, a slotted conduit provided with an arcuate portion, continuous conveyor mechanism provided with arms adapted to project into the slotted conduit and to move from one end of the conduit to the opposite end, then to repeat the cycle, a second conveyor mechanism disposed in oblique relation to one end of said conduit and provided with arms adapted for movement into the mouth of said conduit and thence toward the arcuate conduit portion, said arms being gradually withdrawn from the slotted conduit wall, conveyor means for delivering articleson to the successive arms of said second'conveyor, whereby a predetermined number of articles are lowered into said housing intermediate successive arms of said first conveyor to be pushed through the housing by one of the arms, and an ejector adjacent the delivery end of said housing, and means for the timed operation thereof to push laterally each stack of articles when they are pushed clear of the delivery end of said housing by each successive arm. of said first conveyor.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a guideway, of a grouping conveyor operating adjacent one endthereof and having arms extending into said guideway, said conveyor being disposed in oblique relation to said guideway to effect a gradual retraction of the arms therefrom, means for feeding articles into the path of said arms to be grouped and stacked by said conveyor, and a propelling conveyor operating along the path of the guideway in timed relation to the grouping conveyor, and having arms spaced to receive a plurality of articles carried by the arms of the grouping conveyor, said arms projecting into the guideway for movement therethrough, whereby to collect the articles into groups and to propel each group along said guideway.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 having means associated with the discharge end of said guideway and movable transversely thereof in Y synchronism with the propelling conveyor for the conduit having a depending arcuate portion intermediate the platforms, means for feeding articles from the feed platform into the conduit, means for propelling groups of articles through the conduit, and means for delivering the groups of articles from the conduit onto the stacking platform.

prising spaced feed and discharge platforms, a

U.-shaped conduit having leg portions terminating adjacent the respective platforms and a curvilinear portion therebetween, a first conveyor associated with the feed platform and arranged to propel individual articles over the feed platform to one of the legs of said conduit, a second conveyor comprising fingers arranged to receive suctracted from between said articlesin the oblique cessive articles from said feed platform and provided with guide means about which said second conveyor operates to lower successive articles into the associated leg ofsaid conduit, a third conveyor movable along the conduit and comprising ,paddles spaced to receive a number of articles for propulsion through the conduit, said second conveyor guide means being so located as to define a path oblique respecting said conduit, whereby said fingers are progressively retracted from between successive'articles, and a fourth conveyor comprising a ram adapted to discharge from successive paddles of said thirdconveyor stacks of articles onto said discharge platform, said ram being movable transversely across the leg of said conduit associated with the discharge platform.,

11. A device of the character described, commovement of said chains respecting said conduit, and means for delivering articles to said conduit and onto said fingers.

12. A device of the character described, com-- prising the combination with a conduit having an admission end and a discharge end, of a conveyor including a pair of sprockets in immediate proximity to the admission end of said conduit and another pair of sprockets spaced from said conduit, a pair of conveyor chains operating over prising the combination with a conduit having an admission end and a discharge end, of a'conveyor including a pair oi sprockets in immediate proximity to the admission endof said conduit and another pair of sprockets spaced from said cone 'duit, a pair of conveyor chains operating over the firstand second pairs of sprockets whereby to diverge obliquely. from said conduit, fingers carried by the respective chains and adapted to receive articles delivered into the admission end of said conduit for advancing'said articles into I the conduit, said fingers being progressively rethe first and second pairs of sprockets whereby to diverge obliquely from said conduit, fingers carried by the respective chains and adapted to receive articles delivered into'the admission end of said conduit for advancing said articles into the conduit, said fingers being pr'ogressivelyretracted from between said articles in the oblique movement of said chains respecting said conduit, a third set of sprockets proximate to the first mentioned sprockets, conveyor chains extending along said conduit and operating over the sprockets comprising the third set, and propelling means carried by said last mentioned chains and ofiset from said fingers and so spaced along the chains as to receive between them a plurality of articles advanced into said conduit-by said fingers, whereby to propel said plurality of articles as a stack through said conduit.

1 CURT G. JOA. 

